1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for assisting a single caregiver when rotating, repositioning, lifting, or transferring a completely or partially physically disable patient without compromising the health or well being of either the patient or caregiver. More particularly, the apparatus comprises a single unit possessing a hydraulic lift means for vertical movement of a patient to effectuate rollovers and linen changes, a motorized winch means for horizontal repositioning or transference of patients between beds, gurneys or other patient support mechanisms, and a means for removeably securing the apparatus to a hospital bed while in use. Further, the present invention relates to an apparatus that can pull a patient laterally away from the bed rail through the use of a lifting arm positioned over a patient in a bed.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
Immobility of a patient contributes greatly to the deterioration of patient health. Immobile patients are prone to bedsores and pneumonia. A bedsore can take months or years to heal depending on the severity and location of the sore. Pneumonia occurs in immobile patients because secretions pool in the lungs fostering bacterial growth. Generally side-to-side turns of such patients, approximately every two hours, can prevent many occurrences of bedsores and pneumonia. Additionally, side-to-side turns are necessary to accomplish examinations of the patient. However, turns of this nature are generally the responsibility of hospital nurses, orderlies, or other staff in similar types of facilities.
Additionally, patients require the head of the bed to be raised in order to facilitate breathing and increase comfort. As a result of this incline, patients tend to slide toward the foot of the bed, impeding a patient's normal breathing and digestive functions and resulting in patient discomfort.
When a patient is obese or larger than the staff member, the force required to properly reposition the patient is considerable. Consequently, multiple staff members are required to reposition the patient manually. Moreover, if additional staff members are unavailable, the lone staff member is susceptible to injuries while attempting to reposition the patient without either mechanical assistance or, additional staff labor.
Back injury is a common work injury of nurses and hospital staff generally as a result of moving overweight, obese or patients who are significantly larger than the staff member. The act of turning a patient from side to side precludes proper body mechanics for lifting. In addition, obesity in the United States is increasing in marked amounts. Patient weight increases will only exacerbate the rate of back injuries among nurses, and increase the number of workers compensation claims filed as a result of such injuries as well as reduce the number of able body hospital staff. Consequently, assistance is necessarily required to accomplish necessary patient movement as well as protect hospital staff members against injury proximately resulting from patient repositioning, turning and transference.
Moreover, the task of patient repositioning, turning and transference is labor intensive and time consuming. Generally, patient movement requires at least two staff members. Generally nurses are female and significantly smaller in stature and weight then the patients they are assigned to care for. Furthermore, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities are homes to patients weighing in excess of 250 pounds. Consequently, at least three staff members are required to turn, reposition or transfer a patient of this magnitude. With the increase of nursing and staffing shortages, it is frequently impossible to gather enough staff members to move a large or oversized patient. Thus, either patient care suffers or the risk of injury to staff members is greatly increased.
Therefore a need exists for a multifunctional, yet simple to operate, patient mobility apparatus. Such an apparatus must be operational by one staff member without compromising patient safety and staff member safety.
The apparatus must be easy to install and operate, as well as not consume scarce space in hospital or skilled nursing facility. The apparatus must not compromise patient safety when effectuating the tasks of patient repositioning, turning, or transference.
The relevant art to this application does not disclose a device which permits a care giver to accomplish all the tasks accomplished by this apparatus for patient mobility, i.e, patient repositioning including: patient lifting, turning, and transference. At best, the relevant art allows a caregiver to accomplish two out of the four functions accomplished by the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, the relevant art in this field are terribly expensive and cumbersome to use and install.